Family Celebration
by belikebumblebee
Summary: Thanksgiving with her family turns out to share similarities with rolling around in a mine field - after too many Berings and way too much booze, Myka is so not going to go home for christmas. (Claudia, however, thinks that hung over Myka is hilarious and Helena doesn't understand american tradition).


_For all those who love their family and all, but are still glad to have survived another family celebration._

_Belated Happy Thanksgiving!_

* * *

Claudia meets her at the door, beaming way too brightly.

„Oh thank God Myka you're back. I was trapped here with Artie and Joshua the entire three days and they were flirting physics at each other all the time and it was", Claudia raises her tone by three octaves „*bo-ring*! I feel like I haven't said more than four sentences in days- oh right, that's because I didn't. Anyways, how was your weekend in Colorado?"

Myka's face is crumbled and half-covered by her left hand when she squints at Claudia with one eye. „Claud. Hangover. Shush."

Claudia immediately lowers her voice, but can't refrain from giggling in slight schadenfreude. Still feeling bad, she takes the luggage from her friend and carries it up the stairs as she follows Myka to her room.

„Oi, that bad, huh?"

„Yah. That bad. I hate visiting my family. I mean I love it, but I hate it."

„Tell me all about it. I'm desperate for human contact. - Boy, that is a sentence I never expected to come out of my mouth..."

Myka sinks to the bed and starts rummaging in her nightstand drawer.

„I need an advil first." Claudia shuts the door behind them and Myka winces. „Make that two."

„Jeez, Myka, you really did party it up, didn't you?"

Myka shoots her a glare and takes the medicine she's finally found.

„Do you want to hear the story or not?"

Claudia lifts her hands up in defeat: „I'm quiet!"

„Good. Okay, so, everything went perfectly fine until..."

_„You have grown so much, my little man! Do you want to try the turkey? No? Oh, that's fine, you stick to your baby food a little longer. Mommy brought vegetables and turkey in a little glass for you, didn't she?" _

_Since the arrival of Tracy and her husband, Jeannie Bering has not stopped fussing over her grandson, who seems to be quite content with all the attention he gets._

_As Jeannie happily feeds him slimified thanksgiving food, she easily asks: _

_„So Myka, when are you going to give us grandkids?"_

_Tracy's head turns with an expectant smile, her husband Benjamin echoes the movement rather out of politeness than actual interest, Warren looks up from his turkey._

_Myka, who has choked on her wine the moment she heard the word „grandkid", stertorously coughs out:_

_„What."_

Myka has to interrupt her story in order to throw a pillow at Claudia.

„It's not funny! Stop laughing, and for the love of GOD stop laughing so loudly."

_„Uhm", Myka gets out when she can breathe again, „I'm rather... focussed on my career right now."_

_Yes, she thinks, that was a smart thing to say._

_„Ah, your career", her father chimes in, „what are you doing right now, anyway?"_

_„I'm in the secret service, Dad, you know that."_

_„But you aren't in DC anymore, which you didn't exactly mention to us."_

_Oh right. The thing with the South Dakota caller ID. She knew there was a reason why she normally doesn't bring up work at home... Myka laughs nervously._

_„Yeah, no. I mean - I'm sorry, but it _is _kind of... you know. Secret."_

_Across the table, Tracy rolls her eyes. Myka takes a gulp of her wine._

„Why didn't you say anything? Fixing the caller ID would've been, like, the easiest thing in the world! Making scrambled eggs is a harder job."

„Too late now."

_„But Myka", Jeannie says now, finally looking up from the baby, „are you working towards anything? You must be able to tell us that much. Will you be in a position one day that allows you to actually come home more often than four times a year? Or, just in case you might want to one day, start a family?"_

_This is when Myka's palms start sweating and she stuffs her mouth with mashed potatoes. _

_„Yes, maybe.", she chews and swallows, hastily changing the subject. _

_„Anyway, how is the bookstore going?"_

_Warren looks peevish and grunts: „Fine. The christmas shopping has started. I'll have to hire a help some time soon."_

_He shoots her a look and the hint is not lost on her. She finishes her glass and reaches for the bottle to fill it up. _

_„Any new arrivals?"_

_That is the right question, it seems, because he visibly cheers up. _

_„As a matter of fact, yes. I got my hands on a few early editions."_

_Relieved to be on safe ground and interested in the topic, Myka puts her glass down and leans forward. „Tell me."_

_„_The War in the Air, When the Sleeper Wakes, The Invisible Man and Mr Britling Sees It Through, _all printed in the twenties."_

_She can't help but secretively smile at that. H.G. Wells is something she is kind of a specialist on._

„Alright, gross." Claudia interjects, shuddering.

„Not like that!" Myka blushes a little, and Claudia raises her eyebrow at her.

„Well, okay, but I didn't mean it like that..."

The girl shakes her head. „Just drop it and continue the story, will ya?"

_„That's great news, Dad. Any chance that there's more where those came from?"_

_„I don't know. Those were anonymous donations, they arrived this morning."_

At this, Claudia interrupts again. „Anonymous donations of early H.G. Wells' editions to your fathers bookstore arriving on Thanksgiving? That seems like a coincidence that is not coincidental at all."

„I know, right? Who does that? I didn't even know Fed-Ex delivers over the holidays."

Claudia puts her face into her palm with a smack. „For someone that's pretty smart, you're astonishingly stupid."

„Hey", Myka defends, „I'm having light ethanol poisoning! What do you mean?"

„Fed-Ex _doesn't _deliver over the holidays. Which means someone delivered it themselves. In person. As in, let's say, delivering a present. To put your father in a good mood and thus making Thanksgiving a little easier on you."

„But we don't give presents on Thanksgiving-"

„Elementary, Watson! And who gets mixed up with american traditions?"

Myka beams, featherbrained, as realization slowly strikes. „Oh. That's really cute."

Claudia rolls her eyes, but smiles.

_„Hey! Could you two knock it off and talk about something normal, so we can all participate in the conversation?"_

_Tracy sounds slightly irritated and inconspicuously jerks her eyes in her husband's direction. Myka catches her passive aggressive tone and voilà, all is awkward again: Her encounter with her sister last year, when she was all whammied and overly honest, is still very vivid._

_Unfortunately, their father is not a big fan of Benjamin's, and pointedly responds: _

_„By all means, participate in the conversation. I don't see the problem."_

_That brings Tracy's attention to Myka, who hurries to engage in emptying the bottle of wine in her glass, avoiding her sister's gaze. _

_But of course, her father can't leave her out of this and continues their exchange, just to red-flag his son-in-law's ,undereducation'. _

_„Do you remember, I used to read H.G. Wells to you when you were a child."_

_Yep, he even says something as nostalgic as this in order to make his point. Myka, torn between smoothening the mood and taking the rare opportunity of bonding with her father, jumps and squeaks out: _

_„I remember. She's always been my favorite author."_

_„What?"_

_Oh no. She realizes her mistake too late and takes another sip of her wine, echoing her father in panic: „What?"_

At this point, Claudia is literally laughing tears and gasping for air -

Myka buries her face in her hands, reliving the moment with terror.

_„You said ,she'."_

_„Ugh, no?!", is that sassiness in her tone? Judging by the surprised look on her mothers' face, it is. She's being sassy towards her father. Over thanksgiving dinner. _

_Oh yeah, she's drunk._

_„I mean, of course not. She - I mean - he is obviously a man. We're talking about H.G. Wells. As in Herbert George Wells, born on September 21st, 1866. He."_

_As safe as stating facts makes her feel, Tracy looks like she's going to carve her like a pumpkin - Benjamin has confined himself to eating his food, but his ears are glowing red in uncomfortableness. Myka closes her eyes and clutches her glass. This is not going too well. _

Claudia is still laughing.

_„Benjamin", Myka addresses him now, her tone marginally desperate, „I'm sorry. What are you doing at the moment?"_

_The expression on Tracy's face and the look she and Benjamin exchange tell Myka that this was the worst thing she could have said. _

_„I" - Benjamin clears his throat and eyes his parents-in-law uneasily, „I'm not really working, right now."_

„You are _so _making this up", Claudia snorts, but Myka just gravely shakes her head.

_„What do you mean: Not really working right now?", Myka's mother dandles her grandson on her knees, who is currently smearing the gravy from her plate onto the table cloth. _

_„Yeah... I'm kinda staying at home with the little one."_

_Jeannie knits her eyebrows. „Are you on...paid paternity leave?"_

_„Uhm, no." Benjamin could not look any more awkward if he tried. _

_„So you're jobless." Warren spits the word out without mercy. _

_„We're fine, Dad.", Tracy chimes in now, and her tone clearly indicated the end of this discussion, „I make enough money right now and one of us has to stay at home anyway."_

_Her father shrugs with obvious scoff, Jeannie looks worried. Everyone is silent, Myka finishes her glass and shakes her head as the alcohol burns lightly in her throat. _

_When she looks up, her sister is looking at her. And horrifyingly enough, she is smiling._

_„But back to you, my favorite sister", this is not going to be good at all, „we've already established that you don't plan on having a family anytime soon. How is your love life coming along? Any boys or", she winks and it seems purely evil. „girls?"_

„Aw come on", Claudia wrinkles her forehead, „there is no way she could've guessed that."

Myka fills a glass with water, still fighting a hangover. „She didn't. I used to be a bit of tomboy - you know, girl scout, best friends with the nerdy boys from chess club and all that. She teased me all the time when we were in high school."

_Of course, Tracy doesn't know how close to home she's hit - and Myka is certainly not going to explain her rather complicated relationship with a woman who's close to a hundred and fifty years old and whose name has already been mentioned this evening - oh, and H.G. Wells is not, in fact, a guy. _

_It would be easy to just shrug it off and say „No", but Myka has had four and a half glasses of wine in the past ninety minutes. Which results in her actually considering to explain at least some of it - after all, she doesn't want to deny her love, does she?_

„Ew, Myka. Don't be a sap."

„I just _said _I was drunk. Anyway -"

_„Not really", she lamely gets out after a too-long pause for reflection. _

_„,Not really'?", Tracy presses already, „what's that supposed to mean?"_

_„No", Myka says quickly and curses herself, „It means ,no'."_

_„That's not what you said", Jeannie barges in now, with a smile on her face. _

_„Aw, Myka, are you in love? Who is it? That partner of yours? He is kind of cute, it's true. But not the best manners in the world, I hear..."_

_„His manners are perfectly fine." They aren't, but hearing her sister insult Pete enrages her - she doesn't know him, only her Warehouse family is allowed to make fun of Pete._

_„So it _is _him!"_

_Myka swears she wants to murder her._

_„I never said that. I'm not in love, there are no boys or girls."_

„My presence is not desired then, I take it?", someone dryly remarks from the door.

Myka and Claudia both turn around to see Helena, pretending to leave again.

„Oh no, you will stay right here and listen to me as I finish rambling about my horrible thanksgiving."

WIth a grin, H.G. comes back in and settles next to Myka on the bed after warmly greeting both her and Claudia.

_There is a moment of silence. „Well", Jeannie finally says, „You won't mind then that I arranged for you to meet up with Simon Smoller tomorrow?"_

_Taking a deep breath, Myka sets her glass down and lifts her head to look at her mother. _

_„Simon Smoller."_

_„Yes, him. Tracy told me you've always liked his older brother Kurt, but he got married last year, so I figured - why not try and go out with Simon?" She winks at her daughter. _

_„They look very much alike." _

_Myka runs a hand over her face. She doesn't even know where to start. _

_„I can't."_

_„What? Why not?"_

_„Yeah, Myka, why not?" Tracy's overplayed confusion does not entirely cover her smug grin._

_„I have to be back by tomorrow."_

_„Back in DC?", Warren asks lurkingly, and without thinking, Myka agrees: „Yeah, right."_

_„But I thought you live in South Dakota now?"_

„It pretty much went on back and forth like that for the rest of the evening. I really don't know why I keep doing that to myself."

With a groan, she lets her head sink against Helena's shoulder.

„If I was to make a well-educated guess, I would say it is because you love them", H.G. responds precociously, „but Myka?"

She grumbles. „What."

„You do smell rather badly of alcohol."

„Shut. Up."


End file.
